Two Steps Back
by A Wild Pikachu Appeared
Summary: One of the worst nights of her life turned out to be the most memorable, thanks to him. ONESHOT. Advanceshipping, AaMayL, AshxMay, SatoHaru


Title: Two Steps Back

By: A Wild Pikachu Appeared

Genre: Romance & Hurt/Comfort

Disclaimer: I do not own nor am affiliated with Pokémon or any material related to it.

Summary: One of the worst nights of her life turned out to be the most memorable, thanks to him. ONESHOT. Advanceshipping, AaMayL, AshxMay, SatoHaru

* * *

"Ms. May? Do you have a moment to answer some questions now that the contest has ended?"

Right before I could leave the Contest Hall, I turned around towards the young woman addressing me. She was wearing vintage black shades (in doors by the way, which was totally tacky) and a dark blouse. But her coy smile gave it away; definitely an interviewer.

"Err, sure! Go ahead."

Honestly, I didn't feel like doing any interviews tonight. I just wanted to go back to the Pokémon Center as soon as possible, take a nice long bath, and jump straight into bed. Yup, sounds like a good plan.

"First of all, what do you think about Hearthome City? Isn't it the most lovely city in all of the Sinnoh region?"

"Umm, well I guess the city is really beautiful at night. There are lots of cute Pokémon around here too, and they're all friendly to me. I personally think that Snowpoint City is the most lovely because of the snow, but Hearthome City is pretty nice too."

That answer couldn't have sounded any more generic, but I didn't really care. The interviewer didn't seem to mind either, because she was jotting down word for word in her notepad like her life depended on it.

"So does that mean you are more of a cold winter person than a warm summer person?"

"Not necessarily. I mean, I grew up in a tropical area so…"

"Right, right," the interviewer wrinkled her nose. "Cake or pie?"

"Uhh, cake?"

"Alright, do you prefer the sun or the moon?"

"The sun…?" I answered, extremely confused. What's up with these weird questions?

"OK then, next question," the interviewer said, tapping her pen against the pad. "Your fellow coordinator, Drew, was absolutely spectacular tonight. Do you have any words regarding his performance?"

I sighed at the mention of his name. Drew just _had_ to follow me to the Sinnoh region and participate in this year's contests. At first I didn't mind seeing a familiar face every other contest, but now I'm tired of seeing his smug face everywhere.

"He… He was amazing. Drew's Roserade was in complete sync during every round of the contest," I admitted with another sigh. He became so talented as a coordinator overnight that it scared me to no end. "The two of them deserved to win the Hearthome City ribbon."

It was a hard truth to swallow. Everyone still considers us rivals, but that just wasn't the case anymore. It's not like I became a worse coordinator; I can still put out a perfect show every once and awhile. But that's just it. I haven't improved at all since I lost in the Johto Grand Festival, and even now I can barely get over that hump. When did I get stuck in this rut?

"Here's a follow up, do you think that you should have used a different Pokémon instead during the finale? Your Glaceon looked exhausted from the earlier rounds."

"No, I don't. Glaceon and I trained hard everyday until the competition. I'm very proud of her and everything that she's done for me."

"And yet, it wasn't enough."

That reminder stung, but I held my head high. I've dealt with the media before and instantly knew when someone was trying to provoke me.

"It doesn't matter," I replied calmly. "Drew beat me fair and square, so I won't make any excuses about tonight."

"Mhmm. OK last question," the interviewer said, looking up from her notepad. "So tell all our readers out there, Princess of Hoenn, how does it feel?"

"Huh?" I asked, the woman smiling as coyly as she could with those stupid sunglasses on. I hated that nickname.

"How does it feel to lose, knowing that this was your last chance to qualify for the Sinnoh Grand Festival?"

My eyes widened in shock after hearing her. Did she really just ask me how it feels? I knew she'd come around to it eventually, but that was the way she did was just so _disrespectful_.

"W-well, it's not like its the end of the world for me—"

"But it very well might be," she interrupted, smirking at my confusion. "You've lost the Grand Festival in all the regions - Hoenn, Kanto, Johto - and now you don't even have the _chance_ to compete in the Sinnoh Grand Festival."

My heart raced from the anxiety, and my face started to heat up. "B-but that doesn't mean—"

"After all, you've only won four ribbons, right?" the interviewer interrupted again, asking with an innocent tone that bordered arrogance.

She was right. I couldn't stand that fake sympathetic look on her face, so I quickly stared at the floor. I just need to calm down and take a deep breath. I can't let this girl bully me into a corner and call me out on my shortcomings. I can do this.

"Like… I said earlier, I'm alright with that."

"Really? Well, tonight's contest was the last of the year. Guess that's _yet_ another loss for the so-called _Princess_ , wouldn't you say?" she asked, letting out a cruel laugh.

I need to respond; to show her that I'm as strong a person as I am a coordinator. That this loss _didn't_ matter and that I'll be fine. But I knew deep down that that was a lie and I couldn't get it out of my mouth. It was as if my throat had been sewn shut by all these horrible emotions. I felt embarrassed, humiliated, angry…

"C'mon, Princess. Its not very nice to keep your fans waiting, how ever many you have left," the interviewer goaded, obviously enjoying the situation.

She warmed me up with those stupid questions and then caught me off guard with her hostile personality. She freaking provoked me. I felt the eyes of the other coordinators in the room gazing down upon me. I could hear their shushed whispers and snickers in the background. They all knew this was my last chance.

"I-I'm sorry, but I need to go now," I forced out, my head still facing at the ground. I couldn't meet the eyes of anyone in the Contest Hall right now. Doing the interview was a mistake.

I turned away from that poisonous lady and started to walk out the door.

"At least answer the last question, Ms. May!"

I could still hear her voice as soon as I stepped outside into the dark of night. I just wanted to go back to my room and sleep forever and wallow in my shame.

"God, that was horrible," I whispered, looking out towards the city streets below the hill the Contest Hall stood on. The tall buildings in the center of the town lit up beautifully in a quant setting.

As amazing as Hearthome City was, I missed the view from back home in the Hoenn region. I'll probably catch a boat there next week; I've run out of Grand Festivals to participate in anyway.

"This is it, huh?"

Something wet ran down my cheeks as I continued walking down the hill. But it wasn't raining, was it? Maybe. I didn't realize it at that moment, but my legs started moving faster than usual. Strange.

Walking turned into running, and running turned into sprinting. My vision became even more blurred from the cloudless rain hanging over my head.

My dream was over.

* * *

" _Gasp, gasp, gasp._ "

I ran so hard that I could barely breathe after getting back to the Pokémon Center lobby. I hunched over with my hands on my knees as my lungs screamed for more oxygen. Guess that's expected when you turn a twenty-minute walk into a five-minute sprint.

After a few more seconds, I stood up properly and took in the sight of the lobby. The room was practically empty, excluding the city's local Nurse Joy at the front desk and the sleeping Chansey behind her.

"… I _really_ need that bath," I mumbled to myself, walking towards the visitors' bathing area. My hair was a mess, not to mention that my body didn't appreciate the relay race from earlier. Just great.

After finishing up my bath, I dried myself off quickly and changed. Then I walked back into the Pokémon Center lobby and headed straight for my bedroom. This might have been the longest day of my life and all I wanted was to forget about it.

"Oh, excuse me? May?" Nurse Joy called over, waving her hand to me. "You have a call waiting for you over at by videophones."

With a polite smile, she gestured towards the lounge area on the right side of the center. There were three videophone booths set up in that area separated by extremely thin-looking curtains.

"Oh… Thanks Nurse Joy," I said half-heartedly. That was probably my mom or dad calling to check up on me after the loss, to tell me that I did everything I could.

But the last thing I want right now is anyone's sympathy. _Especially_ from my parents. I love them, but I just need some time to myself.

"Can you tell them I'm not available to talk right now? I'd really like some rest."

"No can do, May," the roseate woman laughed nervously. "The other party's been on hold for over ten minutes. They insisted on talking with you."

I sighed. Fine, whatever. The sooner I get this over with, the sooner I get to be alone.

I walked over to the videophone at the farthest end and closed the curtain. The video screen displayed a rotating hour glass and two small boxes labeled 'YES' and 'NO'. I tapped on the left one.

The connection was taking a while to load up the video of the other party calling me. They were definitely calling from outside of the region. From the blurry mess on-screen, I could only make out a single male-looking figure. Must be Dad.

"H— Hello—, can you hear me, May?"

I raised my eyebrows in confusion. That didn't sound like my dad. But for some reason, the ambiguous voice of the blurry person seemed _really_ familiar to me.

"Can you even see me?" the person asked, no longer unclear yet still unrecognizable from my view.

But _that_ voice. It sounds like the voice belonging to one of the closest friends I met when I was ten. Could it really be him? Before I was able to say anything, the connection on my end of the screen finally cleared up and revealed the source.

My eyes widened as I took in the sight. A boy exactly the same age as me, wearing a goofy bright smile on his face to match his equally goofy red cap. He was scratching his head, obviously thinking that the connection of the videophone was still malfunctioning.

"Hello, earth to May? You listening?"

"Ash?" I asked out loud. "Is that really you?"

His smile grew wider as he realized that I could hear him perfectly fine.

"The one and only."

I couldn't believe it. We still keep in touch every month or so through letters, but its been such a long time since I've seen Ash face-to-face. It looked like he was calling me from the videophone back in his mom's house. He looked so much more matured than I remember, but the iconic grin on his face immediately identified him.

"Umm, not that I'm mad or anything, but why did you call me?"

I hoped he didn't take that the wrong way, but I was really tired. And to make things worse, the image of that stupid interviewer wouldn't leave my head.

To my surprise, Ash just laughed at my expense and continued to offer a warm grin.

"Wow, is that any way to greet your best friend, May?" he jokingly chided, casually brushing off my rude question.

"I'm sorry, Ash," I sighed. "It's just… Listen, I'm not really in the mood to talk with anyone right now. Can I call you back some other time?"

I felt really bad for disregarding him like that, but that woman completely pushed my buttons at the Contest Hall. Whether she knew it or not, that interview took a huge toll on my confidence. Right now, I needed time to myself.

The grin on Ash's face quickly turned into a concerned grimace.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not really…"

Even after all that time apart, he could still tell when something was bothering me. I've always viewed that as a sign of how close we are, but right now, I wish he couldn't.

"Look, May," Ash started, staring at me with those deep chocolate-brown eyes. "I'm your friend. I want to help you whenever you're feeling down, but I need you to work with me here. _Please_."

His genuine plea caught me off guard. I met his gaze and sighed once more.

"Ok, fine," I conceded. "I… I lost a contest today."

"That's fine" Ash replied, once again smiling without a care in the world. "Don't feel too down about it, May. I know you'll get 'em next time."

"No, I won't," I mumbled, my confidence shot.

But he just kept _smiling_ and my blood started to boil and I just didn't know _why_.

"Yes, you will. You're gonna do great, May. I know you will because you're _you_. Trust me."

"Stop!" I suddenly snapped back, alarming him. "You don't understand Ash! This was the last contest in the Sinnoh region. This was _my_ last chance."

I shouldn't have yelled, but I couldn't help myself. I was so furious! I didn't want to hear that things would be better now just because I'm _me_ , but now I _needed_ to take my anger out and there was no turning back.

On the other side of the screen, Ash continued to stare at my sudden eruption. It looked like he was trying to pick his words out carefully before speaking to me.

"Everything will be ok, May."

Before I could even tell, the familiar feeling of wetness ran down my cheeks. A cloudless rain returned with a thunderstorm of rage that took over me. I couldn't contain all the pain and hurt I felt any longer.

"Don't lie to me, Ash! Don't tell me everything will be ok when it _won't_! You already know that I lost in every _single_ Grand Festival I've entered. And now I can't even compete in the last one I have left…"

My voice cracked. The words from that interviewer filled my head at that very moment. I clenched my jaw and balled my fists in anger at the reminder. She was completely, utterly right. Another loss for the so-called _Princess_.

"You don't need to win any big competitions to prove your worth, May," Ash told me, remaining patient despite my outbursts. "Let's just calm down."

Calm down? How could he tell me to calm down when I couldn't even understand how _he_ could act so calm! Especially considering that he let me use him as a verbal punching bag. That was the _last_ straw.

"How would you know? You've never even won a single league conference!" I screamed out, panting in my frustration.

But almost immediately afterwards, I covered my mouth in complete despair as all the anger I felt rushed out. My eyes grew as I began to realize the meaning of what I just threw at him. I can't believe I just said that…

I nervously glanced at the screen in front of me. Ash was still sitting there, but his facial expression changed to a blank one. He was looking in every direction _except_ in mine. And the obnoxious smile that would always comfort me was no where to be found.

"I-I'm sorry," I whispered, desperately trying to maintain eye contact with him. The guilt washed over me like a wave.

"That's alright," Ash replied, finally looking me in the eyes after what seemed like a painfully long time.

"No, its not, Ash," I responded with a quiet voice. "I'm a terrible person."

It was true. One of my closest friends in the entire world offered to listen to my problems and I ended up hurting him. Just because I needed to vent about all my failures didn't mean I had to remind him of his.

"No you're not, May. Even if you don't think so, I'm really lucky to have you as a friend."

I blinked twice. I couldn't believe it. The contagious smile I've grown accustomed to was back faster than it had been gone. And it looked as genuine as he sounded. I couldn't help return the warm smile Ash gave me. He had brushed off my anger just like that.

"Enough with all the lies," I hiccuped, wiping my tear-stained cheeks. Even at my lowest point, he made me forget about the troubles that were haunting me.

"I can't help it," he laughed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

I joined in on the laughter with a small giggle of my own. Typical Ash.

"Really though, I'm so sorry, Ash," I admitted, still feeling awful about the whole ordeal. We've gotten in lots of fights back in the day, but they were never _this_ one-sided.

"Why do you let me treat you like that?" I quietly asked.

"You pack a mean left-hook," he replied with a toothy grin.

Unexpectedly, I giggled at the, eh, _praise_.

"C'mon, I'm serious."

Ash placed a finger on his cheek and scrunched up his face. He looked to be in deep thought, trying to find an answer. I wouldn't blame him. Even I was having a hard time justifying all the nasty stuff I said to him. He was supposed to be my best friend; he deserved better.

"Hmm, well I guess its cause I love you."

And then my whole world stopped.

Time slowed down after hearing the _last_ thing I expected to hear. I froze with my mouth slightly hanging open. _What_?

The boy on the screen didn't seem to notice. He tapped his finger against his chin, still looking as if he needed to find more answers to give me. And he didn't appear to be fazed by those three words affecting me; he acted so nonchalant, so casual.

He'd said like it was common knowledge.

"You… Love me?"

My heart was racing faster than I could ever remember and my cheeks swelled red from the rushing blood. My whole body was shaking with emotion from that confession. Maybe he was lying to me. It had to be just another one of his ridiculous pranks, right?

Ash broke out of his thought-provoking stupor and grinned with that same obnoxious smile.

"Of course I do, May," he said. "I thought you knew."

"As in… _'love'_ love?"

"Yeah, _'love'_ love _,_ " he nodded, still smiling at me.

"O-Oh…" I quietly mumbled, my face burning from the embarrassment.

My mind began to race as well; I had so many questions to ask. When did you fall for me? How do you even know its real? What do you love about me? What if I don't feel the same way? Why _me_?

"Lie to me again."

"Huh?" he asked, confused.

"Lie to me again," I whispered, trying to hold on to all these strange emotions. But he didn't seem to mind. His patient smile never faltered.

"I love you."

And then the tears came back. In a momentary lapse, I realized that I didn't _care_ about those stupid questions of how and why. I stared at the figure sitting across from me a thousand miles away. A boy exactly the same age as me, wearing a goofy bright smile on his face to match his equally goofy red cap.

I instantly knew how I felt.

"I love you too," I managed to choke out, tears streaming down my face. I tried to smile back at him through the tears. But God, my face must've looked like a mess again. He probably won't mind anyway.

"I know."

Of course he knew. He knew practically everything about me, even things about me that I didn't quite know until this every moment. He's my best friend, but it took a rage of emotions to realize that he's more than that.

Right after saying that, Ash's cheeks began to slightly blush, causing him to rub the back of his head nervously. Seeing him act so flustered was not a part of his carefree agenda and it made me giggle. Ash rarely showed this side of him to others.

After all the confessions and happy moments ended, I told him about my interview with the shaded woman, the rut I found myself stuck in, and the lack of confidence she inflicted. He listened patiently and gave me tips. I found my confidence slowly building up again throughout the night.

Several hours flew by before I'd even realized.

"So I guess I'll see you in a couple of days?" Ash asked, his tone deliberately sounding like an innocent child.

"Yeah, definitely," I replied, laughing at the fake pout he was giving me. "After I go home and see my parents, I'll book a ticket to the Kanto region."

He pursed his lips and smiled.

"Sounds good, talk to you later."

"Mhmm. Talk to you later."

I waved goodbye to the boy on the screen until the connection between us disappeared. I got up from my seat and opened the curtains of the videophone booth, heading straight for my bedroom.

Earlier that day, I realized that my dream had ended. But it wasn't going to stop me from moving forward. In the next few days, I'll finally get to see the boy I love. We weren't exactly sure what the future holds, but we both knew that we were adventurists.

And perhaps after traveling together again, I'll find a new dream.

After all, my first one started with Ash and ended with him. Who knows, maybe I'll find a new one right by his side?

" _Yawn._ "

I looked at the clock near the front desk. 4:30 AM.

The harsh reality of that interviewer was no longer clouding my mind. Right now, I could only picture that obnoxious trainer's contagious smile. It was the last thing on my mind before I fell asleep.

* * *

A/N: It's been awhile since my last story, but I'm still here. I hope you all enjoyed this one because I sure did, its probably my favorite one. And let me know, are you getting sun or moon? Please review and favorite! :)


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